


when I'm with you (I turn all shades of pink)

by thesurielofficial



Series: ATLA wlw week [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aromantic Azula, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/F, Fluff, Prom, atla wlw week, i love her ok, mentally stable and happy azula, more like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:27:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26561386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesurielofficial/pseuds/thesurielofficial
Summary: Ty Lee wants to ask Mai out to Prom. Mai wants to ask Ty Lee out to Prom. The Fire siblings are more than happy to help.One shot for Day 1 of ATLA wlw week: Fluff
Relationships: Azula & Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Series: ATLA wlw week [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931743
Comments: 11
Kudos: 57
Collections: AtLA WLW week 2020





	when I'm with you (I turn all shades of pink)

**Author's Note:**

> title from Tessa Violet's Crush

“Ty Lee, please do not serenade Mai in front of the whole school,” Azula groans. Ty Lee pouts and strikes it off her list of promposal ideas. 

“But I want to do something special for Mai! She deserves something nice.” 

“Mai’s not the kind of person who likes theatrics,” Azula reasons. Ty Lee can’t disagree with that. It’s a pity, really, because Ty Lee is wonderful at theatrics. “Besides, there’s a pretty big chance she’ll say yes.”

“You really think so?” Ty Lee asks, perking up. “And you're a hundred percent sure she isn’t hung up on Zuko, right?”

“Mai and Zuko? Agni, no! They’re somehow best friends, which I don’t get, but whatever. She’s really happy for him and that boy he’s mooning after. Speaking of which, do you know how annoying it is to be constantly exposed to people who won’t shut the fuck up about prom?” Azula complains, settling into an armchair and putting her legs up on Ty Lee’s desk.

“I’m sorry. I guess it would get irritating after a point. Would you like to do something else?” 

“What? No, it’s okay! I’m rooting for you and Mai. I’m all in for this.”

“Even if I ask you to help me acquire a bouquet of flowers that spell out ‘PROM’?” Ty Lee asks sweetly. Azula scrunches her nose and Ty Lee laughs. “That’s enough about me and Mai, anyway. What about you? Anyone you got your eye on?”

“I...I don’t know?” Azula’s voice falters a bit, not as confident as it always is. “I don’t really like anyone. I just...don’t get it.”

“It?”

“Romantic attraction? I don’t think it’s something I’ve experienced. I don’t really know if I want to. It’s...interesting, but in a way that’s foreign to me, I guess. I can understand it in theory, but I just don’t see myself like that,” she says with a shrug.

“That’s totally valid, Azula,” Ty Lee says warmly, moving closer to her friend. Azula smiles, a little shy. Ty Lee’s never seen her look this vulnerable before but she likes this side of Azula. “And you know I love and accept you completely, okay?” 

“Yeah, uhm, thanks. Uh, anyway, back to you and Mai. Can you think of anything less...you know, dramatic?”

Ty Lee lets out a huff. “But Azulaaa, dramatics is what I’m good at! Though I do suppose it would be highly embarrassing if I do this elaborate thing and she says no.” 

“She won’t. I’m pretty sure she likes you too. For all you know, she’s thinking of ways to ask you out!”

* * *

“Zukooo,” Mai groans, looking up from the table where she was just painting his nails.

“Yes, Mai?”

“What do I do about Ty Lee?” 

“She likes big gestures, right? Do something stupid and cliche, it’ll work wonders,” Zuko suggests, his eyes focused on the black strokes of nail paint. 

“Well, but what if she says no?” Mai bites her lip.

“Mai, I’m pretty sure Ty Lee has had a crush on you since we broke up. Maybe even before that, but she’s been more obvious since. How are you this oblivious?” Zuko scoffs.

“Don’t move your hand, dummy. Also, I cannot believe you’re calling me oblivious! You thought Sokka wanted to go to Prom as _friends_. He had to _clarify_ the romantic nature of his advances. Who the fuck does that, huh?” Mai teases. Zuko goes red and stutters some kind of excuse. 

“That’s irrelevant. Let’s get back on topic. Do you have any ideas for asking her out?”

“You know what? I may have something.”

* * *

Mai’s nervous. She isn’t a generally nervous person, or rather, she’s better at hiding it. But she’s fidgeting today. Even Ty Lee would be bound to notice that something is off. Asking her best friend to meet her at the park at 1 a.m. isn’t very surprising. They did this when they were kids, the three of them. And on some nights, it was just her and Ty Lee. On some nights it was just her and Azula. But this is not like those nights.

Those had been nights of solidarity and escape. They were born out of desperation and a need for a safe space. Mai doesn’t need those nights anymore, not really. But she wants them anyway.

The thing is, she isn’t very good at big gestures. But Ty Lee loves them. Ty Lee cries and cheers during rom-coms. She likes pink and she laughs because she can. Mai is nothing like that, but somehow, they make it work. And she wants to try for Ty Lee. 

“I didn’t know they added these pretty lights! Do you think it’s a special occasion?” Ty Lee asks, looking at the little artificial candles Mai had lined up to lead to the jungle gym.

“Uhm, yeah. I wonder what’s up with that,” Mai awkwardly stutters. Agni, she can be a terrible liar. They walk together, talking about everything and nothing but Ty Lee stops at the edge of the jungle gym. 

“Hey, Mai?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“That swing, the second one with the rusty chain, do you remember what had happened?” Mai remembers. She had been young and wild and free. She had been swinging higher and higher and higher. She had been a child, and she had been happy. It had been the two of them that night since Azula hadn’t been able to come. It had been the first time she and Ty Lee had been alone without Azula. And then Mai had fallen.

“Yeah, that was our first night here, right?” Ty Lee nods. 

“I remember when you fell, you began to laugh. And I was scared because I’d never heard you laugh much before.” Mai turns red, embarrassed. Maybe the promposal was a terrible idea. “But I also thought it was the nicest sound I’d ever heard. I have a point here. The point is, I still do.” Mai stood, absolutely dumbfounded. “I hadn’t expected to do this tonight, but there’s something about this park that made me go for it. I don’t have the necklace on me though but I’m getting ahead of myself-”

“Ty Lee?” Mai asks softly. “What are you trying to say?”

“The point is. I really like you and I have for a while. I was wondering if you’d maybe like to go to Prom with me? I got you this necklace. And it’s technically for if you say yes, but you can have it even if you say no. I mean, it has a fire lilies design and that works for you. I’m sorry, I’m rambling aren’t I?”

“A bit, yeah,” Mai replies, still too stunned to react.

“So, will you go to Prom with me?” Mai distantly thinks that Ty Lee’s brown eyes look pretty when they get all hopeful. 

“I, one second,” Mai says, taking Ty Lee by the wrist and leading her to the centre of the jungle gym. There, next to a set of candles, lie five cupcakes reading ‘PROM?’. “They’re peanut butter and-”

“-chocolate icing? Mai, this is so wonderful. You were really going to ask me out today?”

“Yes, dumbass. If the cupcakes and lights didn’t make it obvious,” Mai says, smiling a little. She feels happy, incandescently happy. She’s on top of the world. She feels giddy, and when Ty Lee’s fingers brush hers, she holds the girl’s hand. Because she can, now. 

“Wait, just to be clear- this is a yes right?” Mai laughs in response and Ty Lee smiles because she really does love that laugh, rare as it is.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing Mai/Ty Lee but I absolutely adore them!! Also platonic Tyzula and platonic Make are god tier. Comments and kudos are appreciated!!
> 
> My tumblr.


End file.
